Through Sickness and in Health
by Melancholy-Arts
Summary: Arthur Kirkland, an engineer and inventor, came to the U.S. on business to meet with the fellow engineer Ridley Jones. No one would have thought that the Britain would fall in love with the engineer's daughter, Amelia. 5 years of a happy marriage together passed, until Arthur fell ill and saw his end. Stricken with grief, Amelia Jones took it upon herself to somehow fill the void.


**Warnings [In this chapter]: **Nonchalant flirting, [and I don't think much else qualifies for a warning in this chapter]

**Later warnings to keep in mind: **Future character death [of sorts. He does come back technically], future touchy subjects

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Hetalia or any of its characters.

**Pairing: **Fem!USxUK [Female!America x England]

**Full Summary: **Arthur Kirkland, an engineer and inventor, came to the United States on business to meet with the esteemed engineer Ridley Jones. No one would have thought that the Britain would fall in love with the engineer's daughter, Amelia—a strong-willed and talented woman. She took part in engineering herself, and was quite good despite her being a woman. They spent five long years together of a happy marriage living in London, until Arthur fell ill and soon came to his end. Stricken with such grief, Amelia Jones took it upon herself to fill the void of her deceased husband. She created an automatic gentleman, a biologically engineered human with the same looks, thoughts, and memories of her dead husband.

**Author's Notes: **I know, I know, I'm starting a new story when I should be finishing my circus one. But this one has an adjoining ask blog as well! The main story will be posted onto here as a fanfiction, but will be posted onto the blog with accompanying drawings and comics.

The story will come together soon enough. This first chapter is simply a stepping-stone to get things rolling. This story will prove to be heartbreaking soon enough. As an added note, the time period is set in 1912, but it's more advanced and steampunk-ish.

The picture used I created, and so it belongs to me. You can find it on both the ask blog and on my DeviantART page.

Also, to clear up any confusion, the italicized parts are the past. Amelia is recalling these as memories, so the non-italicized pieces are present.

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"We met when I was nineteen years old, in New York one cloudy day. I was living with my family then, working in a bookstore part-time to earn a little keep. I only got the job because of my father, honestly. He was an engineer, you see, and an esteemed one at that. The owner of the bookshop wasn't going to allow me the job until my father threw in his two cents on the matter. My mother stayed at home to take care of the household, and my sister, who's a little older than myself, didn't work. She stayed at home with our mother. You'd think I'd throw a fit about that, but working was my choice so I could get out of the house some. Can you imagine staying home all day, every day, with my mother and sister? I love them both, and get along well with them, but we did have out differences of course. I was always closer to my father, and I learned a lot about engineering from him. Mother didn't approve of a lady learning about gadgets and gears, which was why we didn't always see eye to eye.

"I wouldn't say we were rich either, but we certainly had a fair amount of money—more than enough for us to get by and then some." Amelia fell silent briefly, folding her hands in her lap. A soft chuckle slipped passed her succulent red lips, "Oops, I got off topic a little. Let me get back to the point…" She offered a gentle smile, the simple motion adding a soft light to her face. She was a real beauty, and more so when she smiled.

"The day we met was the day I bumped into him on accident. It happened on the street while I was heading home. My mind was elsewhere, and I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. I apologized profusely, feeling awful for ramming into him as I had done, and do you know what he did?" She paused for a short moment, but upon earning no response she continued, "_He _apologized to _me_. I couldn't believe it!" Her voice raised an octave or so higher, but the lovely sound of her laugh left her lips once more. "With how he was dressed, in a cleanly pressed suit and tie, I figured I'd earn a good lashing of the tongue, but I got nothing of the sort. I got an apology for something that was my fault, and I, frankly, was flabbergasted."

The woman released a gentle sigh, a relaxed expression falling over her beautiful features, "he looked at me with a smile on his face, apologized, and asked if I was all right. My mind finally processed the words, and that was when I realized he had an accent rolling from his tongue. He was English. The first thoughts that came to my mind was he either just moved here to the states, or he was there on some sort of business. I presumed the latter due to his style of dress. But never mind that. After I brought my mind back together, I responded to his question with a simple yes, but I could say no more.

"I looked this gentleman over quickly, but I easily picked up key features and noted them. His eyes were a brilliant shade of candy-apple green, and, even from the low lighting of the cloudy sky, they shone bright as if in broad daylight. His skin was fair and flawless, and not even a hair on his head seemed out of place despite its disheveled appearance. I swear, that man took my heart the moment I bumped into him and looked into those eyes. He was a damn handsome man."

This time the smile adorning her face was broader than previous ones, and it proved to be far more genuine. Her smiles were always perfectly brighter when she spoke of her departed husband. It was apparent how much she truly loved that man.

She cleared her throat briefly, mumbled a soft apology for the noise, and continued with her story.

"After that day, I figured I would never see him again, but later in that week I saw him once more. It was a similar setting as the first meeting—I was walking home on a cloudy day and he was walking along the street in a different colored suit and tie.

"I nearly bumped into him again, but I caught myself—along with his eye. He recognized me, much to my surprise, and even proceeded to strike up a conversation with me."

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"_I appreciate us both watching our step unlike previously. Last time we came out lucky, but this time I wouldn't be too sure. Lady Luck doesn't seem to stick around long enough for second encounters, or so I've heard," the gentleman cast a wide smile toward Amelia, a trickle of laughter following his spoken words. _

_Amelia had a bit of a hard time understanding what it was this man was saying, so it took her a long moment before it all came together and a smile grew across her lips in place of the state of shock she'd previously been in. "I wouldn't image Lady Luck to stick around. If she did, I'd like to think her job quite boring, and I wouldn't find luck to be quite so lucky anymore."_

_The gentleman laughed a second time, a soft sound that brought another smile to the young woman's face, but he quickly composed himself and looked her over with a quick glance. The previous time they met it had only been brief, and the man was in a somewhat hurry to get back to his hotel. He hadn't expected to run into such a young, beautiful girl, but, even with that knowledge in mind, he barely focused on her looks or anything of the sort. He did the only proper thing to do that day and simply apologized to her. _

_This meeting he had the time to stop and chat though, and so he gave her a look over while he was at it. Her hair was pulled back into a sort of messy bun, but stray locks of curly blonde hair framed her face nicely. Her eyes were a perfect shade of blue, and they shone bright with such youth and life inside them as they peeked out behind stray strands of her curly hair. Those lips were another attention grabber. Such a rich red, yet the hue remained classy all the same. Her clothing was simple, a nice dress matching the blue hues of her eyes, and knee-high boots of black with a subtle heel. _

_He offered out a hand, the grin on his handsome face warming, "Arthur Kirkland."_

_For a moment, the young woman simply stared at his hand, but, finding it rude to stare and not accept the gesture, she took it into her own and shook. "Amelia Jones. A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kirkland." His hand was a lot softer than she imaged it would be, but it wasn't nearly as soft as her own. She could feel the amount of work this man had done despite that fact. _

"_The pleasure is all mine, and do please call me Arthur. What need are we of such formalities?" _

"_Arthur it is then," a shy smile crept upon her face, "if you don't mind my intrusion… are you visiting the States on business?"_

"_I don't mind at all. In fact, I am visiting on business. I'm to be here for a few weeks." Arthur realized that he and Amelia were still holding hands from their shake, and so he flashed a nervous smile and released her delicate fingers from his grasp. "I'm an engineer, and I caught wind of a man, who just so happens to have the same last name as you in fact, that was interested in a few of my ideas. I'm also an inventor, you see. I can't help myself but try to create new things to help the public."_

_He stopped there, another uneasy smile showing on his face, "Oh, do pardon me, Miss Amelia. I'm not usually this talkative."_

"_I don't mind at all, and just Amelia is fine. No Miss is necessary," she nodded her head politely. _

_Arthur seemed exceptionally nervous, and she found it both odd and sweet. _

"_This man you speak of, what is his first name? My father is an engineer ironically enough, and if I do recall he mentioned something business related a few days ago at the dinner table."_

_Arthur's brow crinkled in thought as he tried to pull the name from his memory. After a brief moment, he had the answer, "Ridley Jones, if my memory serves me correct."_

"_Well, I do believe that this man you are meeting with is in fact my father. Unless there is a second man by that name in this town," she laughed lightly, but controlled herself to a stop and cleared her throat instead. "It would appear that Lady Luck has shown her face once more, only under different circumstances. I deem her quite nosy in our affairs." She couldn't help herself but smile at her own words and joke, but she felt less silly when Arthur joined her in a grin and soft laugh. _

"_Nosy indeed, but I'm quite okay with that. She seems to enjoy us enough to keep returning," another smile appeared on his face. "I was to have dinner with Mr. Jones tomorrow night at his home, so I suppose I will be seeing you there as well?"_

"_So long as my father allows us to join. Often times with business meetings and dinners he doesn't want us to intrude."_

_Arthur seemed taken aback by that, but the flicker of sudden emotion changed back to his normal countenance just as quickly as it had first appeared. "If he objects to you and the other members of your family joining, then I shall insist you join us and hope for the best. It would be a joy to see you again, and more so of a joy to dine with you."_

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"Dinner was an interesting matter. I was looking forward to it just as much as I was dreading it. You see, my nerves were a bundle of static. I was scared to see him again, but I couldn't wait for my eyes to land on him again either. I had such a mix of emotions inside me that that night I had a hard time sleeping. When the morning came, I knew I had to wait until the evening, and so I busied myself by keeping my mother and sister company. I helped tidy up the house, and helped later with the dinner preparations even. Whatever I could do to keep my mind otherwise preoccupied with things rather than him I made sure I was doing.

"When the dinner itself came around, I found that I enjoyed myself more than I probably should have, and I barely said a thing to him, or anyone for that matter," Amelia allowed herself to laugh lightly. "Honestly, all I did that night was greet, smile, serve, sit, eat, and then my father dismissed himself and Arthur to his study to discuss work related matters."

She released a gentle sigh, a warming smile coming to her face as a thought floated across her mind from the night she was recalling.

"I'll start from when I greeted him at the door. I heard him arrive before anyone else, and so I took it upon myself to answer the door like a proper lady should."

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_The door opened with a silent swing, coming inward where young Amelia held it open just wide enough for the man she was greeting to enter with ease. A lovely smile was perched upon her lips as she waited for the gentleman to come closer. When he was within earshot, she spoke out to him, "a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Kirkland."_

"_Ah, Amelia," upon Arthur's face was a heartwarming smile, "the pleasure is mine." He stopped briefly outside the door, not passing the threshold yet, and raised an eyebrow at the woman just inside. "I just now arrived atop the steps and you already had the door ready when I was walking up them."_

"_I heard you arrive, so I thought to have the door open for you," she smiled shyly, but spoke not a word more._

"_I see," he nodded his head simply, accepting that fact and not questioning it further. He stepped inside, crossing the threshold finally and stopping beside the woman who still held the door._

_As soon as he was in, Amelia shut the vast, wooden door and faced the guest she was now presented with. "I'll show you to the dining room where my father waits. If you'd follow me, please…" Another gentle upturn of her lips, and then she was off, walking through another door nearby and leading the way to their destination. _

_Arthur followed behind her, listening to the soft thump of each step they made on the carpeted floor as they made way to the dining room. It was a short distance from the entry hall, and soon they were passing through the open doorway and into the lighted, neatly decorated dining chamber. It was a rather large space, but it didn't feel too spacious or too cramped. The ambiance felt just right, and it made whoever stood inside feel as if they were at home sitting nearby the lighted fire with a warming cup of tea in hand. The wafting scent of sugar filling their nostrils as a deep breath is inhaled._

_That's the way it made Arthur feel that is. He could picture it so vividly that he almost forgot he was visiting a business partner's home in the United States at that very moment. _

_Amelia's father rose to his feet the moment he saw his daughter and Arthur walk through the door, and a wide grin spread across his lined face. "So glad to see you here, Arthur!" His voice rang with such cheer and volume that the trance the Britain had been was shattered immediately. _

_Ridley walked the short distance from the end of the table toward Arthur, and held his hand out when close enough for a shake. _

_Arthur took it within his own hand, smiling at the man now before him as they shook firmly, "and I'm glad to be here. Thank you for inviting me to your lovely home, Mr. Jones." _

"_Anytime. You're an honored guest after all. You've met my daughter, Amelia, yes?" He turned his attention to the blonde standing perfectly still beside Arthur._

"_Why yes, I have. She let me in, in fact."_

"_Good, good," Ridley placed a hand on Amelia's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Go check on your mother and sister in the kitchen while I entertain our guest. Do you know when dinner will be done perchance?" _

"_Within the half hour I would like to think, but I'll go check," she smiled and nodded her head, blonde curls bouncing from the motion. She gave one last shy smile to Arthur before darting from under her father's hand and exiting the room entirely. _

_Ridley watched her depart until she was out of his view, and then focused all his attention on Arthur with a wide grin. "Lovely, isn't she?"_

_Arthur hesitated on his response, taken aback at how sudden the question was. He cleared his throat and responded, "Yes, she is."_

"_I can still recall when she and her sister were young girls playing outside and tugging on my arms to play. They grow up so fast, don't they?" Amelia's father laughed gently, but quickly composed himself. "I suppose you wouldn't exactly know how that feels, would you? You don't have children, or anyone, if I recall properly?"_

"_You're correct, yes. I'm quite the childless and lonely man. I indulge myself into my work, and I suppose that is good enough for me." Arthur didn't mind too terribly about being alone. One could say that he was married to his work, and they'd probably be spot on. _

_Ridley frowned toward the Britain, "That's nonsense. You work too much, so you need someone to balance that trait out. Being lonely can make a man go mad, Arthur, keep that in mind." _

"_I will take your words into consideration," the younger man nodded his head, smiling politely as the topic of conversation changed. _

_The men sat around at the table after that, chatting about miscellaneous things as they waited for dinner to come. Twenty minutes later the food was deemed finished, and the ladies of the household brought it to the table for the men to indulge in first. _

_Silverware and dishes had previously been set, that being Amelia's doing, and as wore the glasses for beverages. _

_Amelia made her way over to Arthur, a polite smile adorning her sweet face as she asked him what he like to drink for the evening. _

_A simple glass of scotch was the requested liquid, but only one. Afterwards water would be his choice. If he were too buzzed he wouldn't be able to go back to his hotel without a little assistance in the matter. _

_The young woman nodded her head and left to fetch him his drink, along with what her father was wanting. When she returned, she took her place beside her sister, across from Arthur, and helped herself to the food laid out before her. _

_The dinner itself consisted of not much. Her father and Arthur spoke more than anyone else, but Amelia's mother did throw in her few cents on things. Madeline, Amelia's sister, didn't speak a single word, and the most that Amelia herself did was steal a couple of glances toward Arthur. She was too shy to say anything to him while her family was around. It didn't seem right, and besides, the man was here for business. He didn't come here to flirt with a nineteen-year-old. _

_After dinner, Ridley excused himself and Arthur to his study (much like Amelia had foreseen), and the men spoke strictly of business matters behind the closed doors. The women on the other hand cleaned up the mess from dinner, stowed away some of the leftovers, and retreated to the living room to read or embroider for the evening. _

_One, two, three hours later, the door to the study finally opened and out came the two men. Business matters having been discussed, it was time for Arthur to go to his hotel for the night. _

_He was invited to another dinner in a few days, and Arthur kindly accepted._

_Ridley walked the man to the top of the stairs, calling out for one of his daughters to come and escort Mr. Kirkland to the door and outside. He would have done it himself, but he needed to retire to his room for the evening and so left as soon as Amelia came out and into view. _

_She didn't argue with her father, and so led the Britain into the entry hall and to the front door as asked of her. _

"_It was wonderful to see you again, Arthur, even though we barely spoke to each other," the young woman smiled, leaning into the open doorframe as the Britain stood on the outside steps. _

"_I think you're shy glances toward me spoke loud enough to not need accompanying words," Arthur retorted with a warm smile upon his features. "Don't think I didn't see them."_

"_I was hoping you hadn't…" Amelia chuckled lightly, the sound ringing with the tone of her nerves going wild. She crossed one arm around her waist and placed another upon her chest. She felt embarrassed for having been caught so easily. _

_Arthur hesitated a moment, but held his hand out, palm up, and offered it to the woman by the door to take. _

_She stared at his palm, confused by the gesture, but she reached her own delicate hand toward him and placed her palm atop his. Something about this simple touch of skin caused the girl's heart skip a beat and her palms to sweat. It was exciting. _

_Arthur wrapped his fingers around her hand and extended her arm out further, he himself leaning forward to bring his soft lips to her perfect skin. He placed a soft kiss upon the top of her hand, following that with a gentle squeeze of her fingers before he released her with a grin._

"_Until next time, Miss Amelia. I shall be looking forward to it," Arthur Kirkland gave the woman one last smile before he turned and strode down the steps, making way to his hotel for the remainder of the evening and coming night. _

_Amelia could do nothing but smile as she watched the gentleman leave, heading inside her residence only when the car taking him away was out of sight. _

_It wasn't until she was up in her room that she figured out what this feeling was._

_She was in love. _

_She'd fallen for the Englishman in all but a few days, but that mattered little to the young woman. _


End file.
